South Indian
Lemon Rice (Tempered Turmeric Rice)
Lemon Rice (Tempered Turmeric Rice) is South Indian home cooking, eaten at lunch and dinner. On the plate it is the dish at the centre. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice, cooled
- 2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 cup peanuts
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 green chilies
- 2 dried red chilies
- 15 curry leaves
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp salt
How to cook it
- Spread the cooked rice out on a tray to cool completely so the grains stay separate, then fluff it gently with a fork.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan and let the mustard seeds pop, then fry the peanuts, chana dal, and urad dal until golden.
- Add the green chilies, dried red chilies, curry leaves, and turmeric and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- Add the rice and salt and toss gently over low heat until evenly coated and warmed through.
- Remove from heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, and toss again before serving, so the citrus stays bright.
Serve it with
A South Indian dinner is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Lemon Rice (Tempered Turmeric Rice), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.
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What it is eaten with
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The sharp little thing
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Something cool and fresh
A course labelled with another kitchen's name comes from a cuisine in the same family, which is where this plate usually borrows it from.
Safe at your table
Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand, so the absences below are as deliberate as the presences. Lemon Rice (Tempered Turmeric Rice) carries peanuts. It is free of the remaining 9 allergens on that list.
| Allergen | In this dish | Cook this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | Yes | Adai (Tamil Nadu Multi-Lentil Dosa) |
| Tree nuts | No | |
| Dairy | No | |
| Gluten | No | |
| Shellfish | No | |
| Eggs | No | |
| Soy | No | |
| Fish | No | |
| Sesame | No | |
| Coconut | No |
These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.
What it brings to the plate
Bands, not numbers. Dinejot does not weigh anybody's food, so it says light, moderate or hearty and stops there. This dish was read and set by hand.
- Calorie band
- Moderate
- Protein
- Low
- Food groups it covers
- Grains and Nuts and seeds
- How this was set
- Hand audited
When to cook it
Lemon Rice (Tempered Turmeric Rice) takes about 25 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is easy going. It is eaten at lunch and dinner. Nothing in the calendar rules it out, so it is a year round dish.
Watch someone make it
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More to cook
Cooked from the same things
Other dishes built on rice, peanut, and lemon.
From the same kitchens
More cooking from South India.
Does the same job on the plate
Swap any of these in when you want a meal the same shape.
Cook this with your whole family
Dinejot plans breakfast, lunch and dinner as whole plates, built around the cooking you call home and filtered for the allergies at your table.
Meal suggestions support your goals. They are not medical advice. Please ask your doctor about your family's health needs.